Scheduling Meetings: 5 Common Mistakes to Avoid while scheduling meetings in 2023

Biggest appointment scheduling mistakes and how to avoid them

There is almost always a better way to do things. As we repeat activities and become familiar with processes, sometimes you notice that aspects of how you go about doing them just aren't working out. If you work in an engagement-intensive industry, you’ll know that scheduled meetings are generally at the top of the list of activities that could do with an overhaul or dramatically improved approach. 

One of the most common appointment scheduling mistakes is not having a clear schedule. Without a calendar or agenda, meetings can easily be forgotten or double-booked. It’s also important to leave enough time in between meetings for any unexpected delays, as well as ample time for travel if you have an appointment offsite. 

Another scheduling mistake is failing to plan ahead; when setting up a meeting, make sure that everyone invited has the necessary information they need to participate (location, date and time) so there are no surprises. Finally, not respecting people's time is another error – being punctual will help keep your team on task and on track.

Here are some more common appointment scheduling mistakes we make when setting up time to meet with others and how we can improve them for a better meeting experience for all:

Not having a clear plan for an instant or scheduled meeting can lead to scheduling mistakes

When you’re setting up meetings without having a clear purpose for having it in the first place, you are essentially creating opportunities for discord and confusion.
Always try to establish a clear agenda that everyone can follow and refer back to after the meeting has ended.
Meaningless communication and appointment scheduling mistakes create a lot of noise and that is one thing we all have too much of, so try to negate that by setting up a clear plan and purpose for your scheduled meetings and stick to it.

Having too many meetings you might cause you to accidentally skip some 

There is something about the siren song of scheduling a meeting that too many managers simply cannot resist.
Quality reigns supreme over quantity in this case and meetings should be constructive and aimed at progress rather than aimless and never ending discussion.
If you’re setting up too many meetings and clogging peoples’ schedules with incessant chatter, chances are they won't have adequate time and emotional resources to properly get things done, which clearly creates a vicious cycle for everyone involved.

Failing to designate tasks and responsibilities in meetings can lead to scheduling mistakes

Everyone should know what they’re in for and what is expected from them. This is not a courtesy, rather an imperative.
If you’re assembling resources for a meeting to plan things and create touchpoints for project progress, there is a great need to allocate responsibilities and ensure that all key players are aware of what they need to do and how they need to do it and by when they need to do so. Lack of communication is one of the most common and egregious common scheduling mistakes. Make a habit of divvying up aspects of your project and assigning them to capable hands and watch your productivity soar!

Avoid scheduling mistakes from fumbling with tech and software

Lucky for us, in the year 2023 there is almost always an app for that! The incredible technology and software available to us makes life so much easier and allows us a degree of efficiency previously unheard of. The downside being that sometimes things just don’t work out like they’re supposed to.
Make sure your scheduling app isn’t sending out incorrect info and creating appointment scheduling mistakes and try to always test your video conferencing software before you start your meeting to try and stay ahead of any potential disruptions or time drains when you set time with others.
It might seem like a small thing but these glitches, literally and figuratively, can consume your precious time and derail the trajectory of a scheduled interaction in no time at all.

The more is not the merrier in all meetings

Look, we get it. Sometimes you want to cover all your bases and make sure that what it is you’re communicating is heard by as many people as possible. We do this to save time, reduce the amount of interactions needed and to create a sense of urgency and importance.
Sometimes, however, too many cooks just spoil the broth, period. By not clogging people’s schedules with meetings they probably didn’t have to be a part of, you make engaging with them when it is needed more meaningful. Try to only include key players in your meetings and keep your setup simple and restrained.
Then those key players can in turn set up their own interactions beyond the initial scheduled meeting to discuss further as they see fit. Reduction and streamlining is always a better approach than chaos and clutter, so let’s keep that attitude going when it comes to our meetings too. 

OnceHub is an invaluable scheduling and meeting tool for helping you avoid scheduling mistakes. It automates the process of booking and managing meetings, ensuring all of the details are handled quickly and accurately. With OnceHub, you can easily view your entire schedule in one place and set up reminders to keep yourself on track. 

The platform also allows you to automate recurring meetings, so that you don’t have to worry about forgetting or double-booking any appointments. Additionally, its integration with calendar apps like Outlook and Google Calendar makes it easier than ever to ensure that all of your commitments are properly managed. So if you want to make sure that your meeting schedules are accurate and consistent without taking up too much of your own time, then OnceHub is the perfect.

Scheduling mistakes can cause a lot of stress and frustration in a workplace, so it is important to take the time to plan ahead and avoid them. Having an organized schedule will help prevent overbooking of meetings or double-booked events, and make sure that everyone has enough time for work, rest and leisure. 

By keeping track of upcoming tasks and scheduling meetings in advance, you can ensure that all commitments are met on time. Using calendars or other tools like task management apps can also be helpful to ensure that no appointments or deadlines are missed. Taking the time to check your calendar regularly will help you stay on top of your schedule while reducing the chances of making costly scheduling mistakes.

OnceHub is an invaluable asset for effectively scheduling and managing meetings. With OnceHub, users can easily access their calendar from any device, create beautiful meeting pages with custom branding that include all of the necessary details about the meeting such as attendees, agenda items, resources and more. 

Additionally, users can quickly schedule repeat and recurring meetings by leveraging templates to instantly populate a meeting series in their calendar, reducing the chance of appointment scheduling mistakes. With automated reminders for both hosts and invitees, OnceHub ensures everyone stays on the same page when it comes to the busy schedules of modern day professionals. Ultimately, OnceHub helps people save time by providing an efficient way to manage their calendars and schedule meaningful meetings with ease.

There are many other common appointment scheduling mistakes that we make when we conduct interactions professionally. Maybe we’re using the wrong scheduling apps, maybe we are approaching time zones wrong or maybe we’re not meeting with the right people at the right time. It is important to note that mistakes are okay and improvement is a beautiful thing. Repeating mistakes, however…